


Fatal Flowers

by hilandmum



Category: Murder Most Unladylike Series - Robin Stevens
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 09:32:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15816204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hilandmum/pseuds/hilandmum
Summary: When the flower gardener is murdered at the Wong compound, Hazel must solve the case alone.





	Fatal Flowers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [brutti_ma_buoni](https://archiveofourown.org/users/brutti_ma_buoni/gifts).



> I hope this is what you were wanting. It was fun to write. On AO3 I couldn't set the suspect list to another character set, so I went with italics. 
> 
> Takes place after A Spoonful of Murder.

Two days ago I left Daisy at Deepdean and already I need her. You see, the day after I arrived back in Hong Kong, the gardener, the one for the flowers, Natsumi, not the one for the bamboo or the one for the vegetables, was found slumped over his wheelbarrow. Father says he drank too much and it finally took its toll, but I’m sure it’s murder. Who dies with flowers strewn all over them?

Now, how can only one half of the Detective Society solve this case? With the other half far away in England, I’m on my own. I’ll have to find clues on my own and be brave on my own. Of course, both Ping and Ah Lan were junior members of the society. Perhaps I can rely on their assistance.

My father shouldn’t have insisted I return home without Daisy. Last time she was here with me, we solved Su Li’s murder and Teddy’s kidnapping, what we called the Case of the Jade Pin Crimes. Father still thought Daisy might have a bad influence on me. I wouldn’t see her again for at least two months. I didn’t understand why my father wanted me to return to Hong Kong, since I’d recently been here for my grandfather’s mourning period. I was missing the end of the term at our school. I wouldn’t be able to finish and go on to be a Big Girl in the fall.

“Ying-Ying, Hazel,” Rose ran into my room. My little half-sisters rarely walked when they could run.

“What is it, Rose?” 

“The police are here in the compound. Will they arrest us?” She pulled at her pigtail.

“Why should they arrest you?” I tried not to laugh at her. 

“I… I killed an ant.” She said it with pride tinged by anxiety.

“Police only arrest people who kill other people.”

Rose’s mother, Jie Jie, walked through the doorway. “Are any of the servants here?”

“No. Why?”

“Sergeant Lee Sing-ho wishes to question all of the servants in the death of Natsumi, the flower gardener.”

“The servants, but not us?” Yes, this was Hong Kong and different rules applied, but in England, the constabulary would interview anyone who could have seen anything or knew anything. “I don’t know where my maid or any other servants are.” Still, I followed Rose to the room where the Sergeant had lined up the available maids and was asking them about their whereabouts the night before.

This wasn’t Officer Knightly who knew I could help solve a case or even the detective who worked to get Teddy back. This was a member of the Hong Kong police, who probably thought I was a girl child who should stay out of the way.

My mother appeared and ordered, “Girls, allow the man to do his job. It is not your concern.”

I smiled. While ‘the man’ did his job, my maid would be occupied answering his questions, the perfect time to begin my own investigation. 

The order to stay out of the way might be true of seven-year-old Rose, but not me. She allowed herself to be shepherded outdoors where May probably waited. I scrambled up the stairs to my room, the guest room I’d been given since Teddy was ensconced in my old one. My case book sat in a drawer under my stockings. I took it out and wrote down what I knew. 

Natsumi had tended the flowers since before May was born. He was from Japan, but I never knew which city or town. My mother’s maid found his body when she went to cut blooms for the vase on the dining room table, so I could understand why she might be a suspect. I started my list with her:

_Suspects List:_

__

_Assai: Motive: unknown;_

_Notes: She was the one who found the body._

 

Most of the servants slept in the quarters as far from the flower gardens as possible, and were likely there. 

Another suspect was either of the other gardeners, Bin or Setsui. Bin was in charge of the kitchen garden where Ng got the vegetables for his cooking. Setsui was actually an arborist. He kept our trees well trimmed so they were all the same height. And what about the gardener’s boy, Ah Lan?

So I listed them as well:

_Bin: Motive: jealousy?_

__

__

_Notes:_

_Setsui: Motive: jealousy?_

_Notes:_

_Ah Lan: Motive: unknown_

_Notes: He is a member of a gang, but was helpful in our last case. It is unlikely he is the murderer._

But as I wrote the last sentence, I scratched him out because he was a junior member of the Detective Society. Just as I wasn’t a suspect, neither was Ah Lan. I didn’t know enough about the gardeners or their relationships with each other, but someone did, Ng. My feet clacked on the marble floors as I raced through the entryway to the long hall to the kitchens. I wiped my sweaty brow before I pushed through the doors. It was sure to become moist again before long from the steam in the kitchen. 

Ng stood by a large pot, stirring with a firm hand. He had been the cook for our compound since before I was born. He always seemed to know everything that was happening in the household. I’d imagined he was a member of a tong, but never proved it. 

“You are here to ask about the murder of Natsumi, the Japanese gardener.” He reached with his free hand for a cake on a tray beside him and handed it to me.

“How did you know?” I asked before sinking my teeth into the fluffy dough and almond paste filling. 

“You and your friend solved the kidnapping of Teddy and the murder of his maid. You will solve this one too. That Lieutenant Lee Sing-ho cannot see the clues right in front of him. He doesn’t know the questions to ask.”

“What questions? And who do I ask?” I continued to munch on my cake. 

“All of the gardeners were jealous of him because your father praised him the most. They suspected that your mother gave him gifts. But most of all, he had won the heart of the new maid.” Ng smiled, which he rarely did.

“Ming-lu?”

“Yes. He often begged cakes from me to give to her.”

“Oh! Thank you, Ng.” I bowed to him as you do to anyone who’s given you a great gift. “I will speak to Ming-lu and ask when she last saw Natsumi.” 

Ng nodded, as if that’s what he would do.

But before I spoke with her, my father appeared. “Hazel, what are you doing bothering Ng?”

“I asked her to come for a moon cake,” Ng said, and I smiled at his quick thinking.

“I’m going.” I needed to clear Ah Lan. He’d be easier to find than Ming-lu.

My new maid, Liu-Hsien, caught up with me before I could interview either of them. This was turning into a frustrating morning.

“Has the inspector finished with the servants?” I asked her.

“The ones he could find, Miss. You should be getting ready for luncheon.” She bustled off to my clothes closet to pick out an appropriate cheongsam for me. In the past I’d found that mode of dress unappealing, but of late, I liked the simplicity.

When I appeared at luncheon in a green one with embroidery along the top, even my mother said, “Now that you have subtle curves, that dress suits you better.” But she spoiled the compliment by adding, “Just don’t spill anything on it.”

We were all there: my father, my mother, Jie Jie, my two half-sisters and baby Teddy. Any further detective work would have to wait until after this meal. 

Rose sat next to me. “Where did you go when I went outside?”

“I needed to check on something.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Are you going to solve the murder of the gardener?”

I took a breath and let it out. “What makes you say that? Please keep your voice low.”

“You found Teddy for us and solved Su Li’s murder,” she whispered.

Was she going to tell what she thought I was doing? “You must pay attention to what you have to do and leave such things to adults.”

“You’re not an adult. You’re only fifteen.”

“But I’ve solved six murders, Daisy and I did. What have you done? You’re only seven.”

Rose faced me, her mouth open and tears streaming down her pretty face.

“Oh, Rose, I didn’t mean to be mean to you. You’re my sister, my little sister, and I’m only trying to protect you.” I felt like crying too. I’d hurt Rose’s feelings whilst trying to care for her.

Through her weeping, she said, “I’m not little. May is little. Teddy is little. I’m _their_ big sister.”

I put an arm around her. “Yes, you are, and you take care of them, especially when I’m not here. But I know what I’m doing. I have experience.”

She rubbed her eyes and nose with her sleeve. My mother wouldn’t approve, but it was none of her business. “Did you and Daisy really solve so many murders?”

Before a month ago, I don’t think she even knew anything about death and murder, but Rose had grown up in that time. My grandfather’s death followed so closely by Su Li’s murder and the kidnapping brought death and danger into our compound. 

I put my hands on her shoulders and knelt down so our eyes were on the same level. “Yes, we have.”

“I want to gain experience to. I won’t do anything dangerous, just follow you.”

“All right, this is what you can do. At the end of each day, I’ll tell you what I’ve found out, and you can write it down for me in my case book.”

Her little nose wrinkled. “Case book?”

“Yes, I’m secretary of the Detective Society and you will be the assistant secretary. I will show you my case book so far.” 

So under the table, I showed her this case book. I always tried to keep it handy in a pocket or inside my cheongsam. Daisy would be aghast that I was sharing it with her, but she was my sister. I was using one of the ones I got at Christmas, not the one from Daisy, since that’s the official one for the Detectives Society. “See, I write down everything that happens and that I learned about a case. I even have a suspect list.”

“Ooh! But why did you cross out the gardeners’ boy?” she asked, surprising me that she could read my handwriting.

“Because he helped us with our last case.” I couldn’t tell her he belonged to a criminal gang or that other servants did. She’d tell Father. And if I said he was a junior member of the Detective Society, she’d want to be one, too. “and because he couldn’t have done it.”

“Why not?” A whine had crept into her voice.

“Because he was somewhere else.” That would have to suffice. I made some changes to my list:

_Suspects List:_

__

__

_Assai: Motive: unknown;_

_Notes: She was the one who found the body._

_Bin: Motive: jealousy_

_Notes:_

_Setsui: Motive: jealousy_

Notes:

_~~Ah Lan: Motive: unknown~~_

~~~~

~~~~

_~~Notes: He is a member of a gang, but was helpful in our last case. He isn't the murderer.~~_

 

“Can you write down where you were this morning and, if you saw something, what it was?” I handed her the case book.

“I can’t write the words.” That was understandable. After all, she was only seven. She might be able to speak and even read Chinese and English, but to write them is difficult.

“Then tell me and I’ll write out the words.” I kept my case books in English. 

“Okay. Well, first I had breakfast.”

“Is that important? Does it have anything to do with the case?”

“Well, no. The first thing that did was when Assai was talking to Natsumi. Her face was very red and then he shouted at her. I couldn’t hear what.” She chewed on the end of her pigtail.

Clearly she was observant, the way Hazel and I were. If Assai and Natsumi were arguing, that would have a bearing on the case. “Well done, Rose.” I smiled at her so she’d know how much I appreciated what she’d told me. “Anything else?”

She shook her head then stopped. “Only that Natsumi went into the bamboo grove, and then not much later, Ming-Lu followed.”

“Thank you.”

“Hazel, Rose, you both know private conversations at dinner are not allowed.” Father glared at us. 

“Sorry, Father,” we chorused. But the expression I exchanged with my sister indicated that we’d talk again later. 

I already knew that Ming-Lu was Natsumi’s girlfriend, but if Rose saw them in the bamboo grove, I wondered who else could have. Certainly, the bamboo gardener, Bin, and possibly Assai, my mother’s maid who found the body, because my mother preferred the bamboo to any of the flowers.

Moon cakes were one of my favorite desserts, so when they were brought out and placed on the table, I reached for one.

“Hazel, didn’t you already have one in the kitchen earlier?” Father asked.

Belatedly, I remembered Ng’s lie, and let my sisters and Jie Jie have their pick before I took one. After the little ones’ grubby hands had taken a cake, the remaining ones were squashed and slightly dirty. I’d have to be satisfied with that.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ming-Lu, passing in the hallway beyond an arc. I still hadn’t spoken to her about her boyfriend, but I couldn’t very well leave the table, a half-finished moon cake on my plate. Where could I look for her later?

When Father seemed to be deep in conversation with Jie Jie, Rose leaned toward me. “Do you know why Ming-lu and Natsumi were in the bamboo grove together?”

“She was his girlfriend.”

She giggled. “Were they kissing?”

“How should I know? I suppose so.” I nibbled at my cake, deep in thought. “Did you see anyone else?”

“Only Setsui, pulling weeds.”

So Natsumi argued with Assai and went into the bamboo grove with his girlfriend, and the bamboo gardener was weeding the bamboo grove. Bin was the only one of the suspects who hadn’t been seen in the grove that evening.

“And Bin came by to talk to him.”

“What?”

“Bin came to talk to Natsumi.”

“Are they friends?”

“I don’t know.” Rose's narrow shoulders went up to her ears.

“They spoke in the bamboo grove?”

“Oh, no, this was afterward. I saw them near the fountain, just the two of them.”

All my suspects had contact with Natsumi near the time he was killed. Their motives were still unclear. There was something I didn’t know, but how was I to find out? Perhaps Ah Lan would know. I hadn’t seen him all day. Last time I was home, I saw him at least once every day.

We were finally free to leave the dining room. I went out past the pagoda to the flower garden with Rose trailing behind. When I stopped walking, she caught up to me, and I asked, “Why don’t you go play with May?”

“I want to investigate with you.” She looked at me with a smile on her pretty face. Why did she have to look so cute?

“Okay, then, the first thing you have to do is look to see whether any of the plants looked disturbed, like someone was in the beds.”

“What will you be doing?” She was smart enough to realize this might be my way to leave her in the garden while I went somewhere else.

“I’m going to do the same in the bamboo grove.” It was close to the truth, something she’d believe.

Rose smiled. “Okay. I’ll wait for you to return after I’ve investigated.” She seemed to love using the word investigate.

I strolled back in the direction of the bamboo grove. I'd passed the entrance near the pagoda before. It was much smaller than the flower garden. But before I reached it, Ah Lan fell into step beside me. 

“You are investigating the death of Natsumi.”

“Yes. Tell me, was he a member of your triad?” I stopped by the pagoda, past the bamboo grove. 

Ah Lan shook his head. “He hated the triads, but they don’t hate him. Didn’t hate him, I mean. You suspect the other gardners?”

“Yes. Setsui and Bin. I think they were jealous.”

He smiled. “Very much so. Only Bin also didn’t like him before he and Ming-lu — you know about them?”

“Yes. So, before Natsumi and Ming-lu became close, Bin didn’t like him.” I hadn’t known that.

Ah Lan shrugged. “But he wasn’t there that night.”

“He was there. So was Setsui, and Assai argued with him.”

“Assai? You suspect her? But she found the body.” He seemed surprised. 

“I don’t know what they argued about, but she could have done it, and to throw suspicion away from herself, found the body.”

“Ohhhh!”

“So, I have no way to rule out any of those three.”

“But there is.” He grinned. “Have you talked to Ming-lu? She might know what the argument was about.”

He had a point. I’d have to find Ming-lu. 

Wondering where she’d be at this hour, I almost didn’t see Rose and May. Their giggles gave them away. I found them hiding in the bushes, spying on me, I thought.

“Shouldn’t you two be in bed?” I said.

“You didn’t ask what I found in the garden.” Rose had a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

“You actually found something there?” I’d left her, as she thought, so I could go on and investigate myself. I hadn’t expected her to find anything.

She pulled something from inside her kimono and handed it to me. It was a piece of paper, a note from Assai to Natsumi, asking him to meet her in the spot where he was later found dead by her. Things didn’t look so good for her. 

Ah Lan took the page from me. “It doesn’t say why she wanted to meet him.” 

“And it doesn’t specify the time. She’s looking more and more suspicious.”

“Do you think Assai killed him?” Rose’s eyes were huge.

“Who did she kill?” May asked.

“The gardener,” Rose explained. “You’re too little to understand.”

“But you said I could help you assist big sister.” May pouted. “And anyway, I’m not so little anymore. Teddy’s little.”

Ah Lan seemed to come to a decision. “I’ll find her and question her about her whereabouts on the night of the murder.” He sounded eager to play detective.

“This isn’t a game.” I addressed that to all three of them. “Anyone who has already killed someone won’t hesitate to kill again.”

Rose swallowed loudly, and May watched her.

“It will be easier for me to talk to Assai.” He smiled suddenly. “I think she feels sorry for me, what with my shortened arm. So does Ming-lu. Maybe I'll look for her first.”

“No one should feel sorry for you,” I said. “You’re more skilled than anyone I know.”

“Thank you.” He grinned, then took off.

“Where’s he going?” Rose asked.

“To find Ming-lu. I hope she can tell him what we need to know.”

“You mean who killed Natsumi.”

“Well, she may not name the killer, but she can tell us about his last hours.”

“Because she was his girlfriend.” Rose grinned.

“Yes, and you helped by telling me everything you knew.”

Rose beamed.

“But now it’s time for the two of you to go to sleep.” I looked toward the house, and their maids coming for them.

“What are you doing here? It’s cold out,” Ah Kwan, May’s maid wrapped her in a shawl. “You too, Rose.”

Rose’s maid, Pik An, nodded vigorously. I hoped that I could remain behind, but Jie Jie, who had come to make sure her daughters went to bed, arched a thin eyebrow at me. “Hazel, you must come in as well.”

***

When I woke the next morning, the servants buzzed with news. Ah Lan had been arrested for the murder. But that couldn’t be. I knew he was innocent. Not only did I have to uncover the real killer, but I had to clear Ah Lan.

All I could think was that one of the other gardeners had named him as the culprit. Rather than join the family for breakfast, I went in search of the policeman who’d interviewed the servants. But Pik An told me he’d finished with them the day before and was probably on his way to police headquarters with Ah Lan in handcuffs. The image stopped me. How would anyone put handcuffs on someone with only one hand? I would laugh if it wasn’t so sad.

I had to find a way to go into the city, but I was at a loss. Not for the first time, I wished Daisy was with me. She’d come up with a plan. I slipped into the breakfast room after all. My tummy thanked me.

“You’re late,” my mother said.

But all I could think about was how I could arrange to go into the city and visit Ah Lan in jail. As I stuffed a rice cake into my mouth, I listened to the conversation around me. Maybe my mother or Jie Jie wanted to go shopping, maybe there was another errand to run. I almost missed my father saying, “They’ve found the gardener’s killer so we can now rest easy.”

“But he didn’t do it,” Rose blurted. “Hazel said so, right, Hazel?”

What could I say? With the rest of the family looking on, I couldn’t claim my sister was mistaken. Claiming my friendship with Ah Lan wouldn’t work. “I said there were better suspects. And besides, Ah Lan wasn’t there.”

“And how do you know this? Have you been detecting again when I expressly forbade it?” His cheeks reddened and his eyes popped as they do when my father was angry. 

I looked down at my almost empty plate, praying for some way to deny my transgressions. “I can’t help it if people get themselves murdered all around me and the police don’t have the ability to solve the crimes.” Wrong thing to say, but what else could I do?

Maxwell waited in the doorway for my father to be finished with his meal. He must have had important papers for Father to sign. When my father rose and went to him, the two of them whispered for a few minutes. A cold certainty engulfed me when they both looked my way.

Father came to my chair. “You will come with us.”

I blinked twice, but there was nothing for it but to go. I stood on rubbery legs and followed the two men out of the room. Once we were in the reception room, Father turned to me. “Ah Lan is asking to speak to you. The police believe they have a case against the boy.”

“He didn’t do it.”

Father’s mouth twisted. “I do not care for the way the inspector has conducted this investigation in my house. Do you really believe you can prove him wrong?”

“I believe he is wrong, but I can’t guarantee I’ll prove it.” I sighed. “Please let me speak to Ah Lan. He may have the information I need.”

“I do not like you becoming involved in crime investigation, but I see I can’t stop you.”

“Father, I will behave with the utmost decorum. That I can promise.”

“Of course you will, because I’m going with you.”

I took in a deep breath. He was coming with me? I couldn’t believe it. 

Wo On, my chauffeur brought the car around. My father’s chauffeur was unavailable.

I got in first, and then my father sat next to me. I kept my hands in my lap all the way down into the city, too shocked by events to say anything. Would my father’s presence keep Ah Lan from talking?

As we neared the police station, Father said, “I can only assume you suspect someone other than the gardener boy.”

I gulped. “Yes, Father. I’m almost certain the murderer was…” But before I could say the name, a police car swerved in front of us and I was jolted out of my seat. “Father, are you all right?” He was leaning against the back of the seat with his eyes closed. 

“Yes, daughter. I am fine. You were saying?”

I was about to name my chief suspect. But what if I was wrong? Should I still tell Father my suspicions? “I … I don’t remember.”

He raised one eyebrow then led me into the police station. The place was full of uniformed police officers and people like us. Father walked over to a desk with a policeman sitting behind it. “We’re here to see your prisoner.”

The man studied each of us in turn. “Which prisoner would that be?”

“Ah Lan,” I said, but Father frowned at me. 

“An employee of mine.” He smiled. “Name is Ah Lan.”

“I will have someone take you. Perhaps the young lady would be more comfortable in the captain’s office.”

I didn’t move, and was surprised when Father said, “He asked specifically to see my daughter and we should find out what he wants.”

“Right away, sir.” He saluted and summoned another policeman who took us through a hallway. On either side was a row of small rooms with bars instead of doors. Most were empty, but in one toward the end, Ah Lan sat on the floor with his head in his hands. He looked up at our approach and grinned.

“You came!” he told me.

“You sent word that you wished to see me.” Ignoring my father for once, I questioned Ah Lan. “Did you find out anything from Ming-lu?”

“Hazel, let me question the man,” Father said before Ah Lan could reply.

“But Father.” How could I explain what I needed to know from him. 

He gave me a withering look and, defeated, I was quiet.

“I hope my daughter is correct about you and that you have not brought disgrace to my house by committing a crime.”

I stared at him as he stared at Ah Lan.

Ah Lan bowed to him. “Mr. Wong, I did not commit a crime.” He looked at me. “Miss Hazel, I spoke with Ming-lu, but she didn’t know why Assai and Natsumi argued. I was unable to talk with Assai before the policemen arrested me.” He bowed to me too.

“I’ll talk to her,” I said.

“Hazel.”

“Father, Assai might be the real murderer.”

“So she will bring disgrace to our house.”

“Don’t you think the murder of Natsumi had to be done by one of the people living in our house. The police, of course, focused on the servants. The truth is Natsumi rarely had any contact with any of us, so it really is most likely one of them who killed him.” I didn’t think I’d ever talked to my father like that before, but he had to understand if we were to get to the bottom of this. 

A series of emotions, including anger, annoyance, but also pride showed on his usually impassive face. “If we have a murderer among the servants, we should be home to protect the family. Hazel, you will come with me.”

I’d heard what Ah Lan had to say so I had no objection. “Yes, Father.” I dipped my head. I followed my father away from the cells. But he didn’t leave the police headquarters immediately. Instead he asked to speak to the inspector in charge of our case. I recognized the man who came from the offices, he was the one who’d questioned the staff at our house.

He wouldn’t notice a girl listening in on their conversation, but Father would. So I stood behind him as he questioned the inspector.

“I was surprised that the boy was the murderer," Sergeant Lee said. "How he could he do it with only one hand, I can’t tell you.”

“So, perhaps it wasn’t him.”

“What? Impossible! The other gardener’s named him.” The sergeant stood tall. “And a maid confirmed it.”

“But if it was one of them, wouldn’t they try to shift the blame?” I said.

Father put a hand on my arm. “Let me handle this.”

“Yes, Father,” I said meekly, but that’s not how I felt. 

“You will give me the names of those who spoke against Ah Lan.”

The inspector bowed and then turned. He walked away, but returned soon after with a list and handed it to Father.

I didn’t need to see the list to know who was on it. Setsui, Assai and Bin. We drove home, arriving just in time. Assai and Ming-lu were fighting in the front courtyard. 

“Break that up and bring the two women to me in my office.” Father strode inside the compound and directly to the room with his large wood desk and shelves of books. He didn’t stop me following him. “Take a seat,” he commanded and sat himself.

Two chairs stood on the other side of his desk, but I took the one in the corner. Before long, Maxwell brought Assai and Ming-lu. They stood in front of Father, but as far from each other as they could.

“Why were you fighting?” Father asked in Mandarin although he insisted the servants learn English. 

“She started it,” Ming-lu said.

Assai didn’t deny it. “She killed Natsumi.”

“No, she did.” Anger and hurt filled Ming-lu’s voice.

“I found his body,” said Assai. “I didn’t kill him.”

“You argued with him,” I said. “What was that about?”

“I told him he had no right to be with Chinese girl.”

I was on my feet. “Because he was Japanese? Is that why you killed him?”

“He planted white flowers. Everyone knows they bring bad omens, maybe even death.” She frowned and looked down. “He laughed at me.”

“So you killed him?” My eyes went wide. “That’s why the white flowers were placed on his body. They did mean death. His.”


End file.
